iPhone 8 Rumor: No Physical Home Button, Power Button, Volume Buttons Or Mute Switch

iPhone 8 is being touted as a revolutionary device for Apple and iPhone enthusiasts alike. The phone is expected to be the first one in Apple’s lineup to ditch the home button, which has been present on every one of its devices since the first iPhone.

But, according to a new report, the device might not only ditch the home button, it could also do away with all other physical buttons including those for volume, power and the mute switch. The company is expected to replace the buttons with touch-sensitive ones placed inside the metal frame.

In iPhone 8, the home button is likely to be a display-embedded one. Apple is expected to employ its pressure-sensing 3D Touch technology inside the button, so users would be navigating through the phone the way they did on previous iterations, but by applying pressure on the display and body rather than physically pressing a button.

Fast Company reported Wednesday that the device will look like a single slab of glass since it would have no bezels or physical buttons. The report said that the device will have a stainless steel frame in comparison to the iPhone 7’s aluminum one.

It also stated citing sources that Apple has been working with smartphone components manufacturer Lumentum on employing iPhone 7’s 3D Touch technology throughout the upcoming device. Some such uses of the 3D Touch technology include user face recognition, camera imaging and augmented reality games. To support this technology, the device would need a bigger battery than the one already on the current iteration of the device.